WIREDGOV

Prime Minister Keir Starmer met President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysée Palace this morning.

The Prime Minister congratulated President Macron on hosting such a successful Olympic Games and said he was looking forward to watching the Paralympics in the coming weeks.

The leaders reflected on the success of the European Political Community meeting, held at Blenheim Palace last month, and agreed on the importance of further strengthening and broadening the close relationship between the UK and France in the coming months. 

Turning to the fragile situation in the Middle East, the Prime Minister said he was very concerned about the escalation in the West Bank in recent days. 

The leaders agreed on the urgency of concluding the ceasefire negotiations, and the importance of pursing a political solution that creates an irreversible pathway to a Palestinian state alongside the State of Israel, which can provide lasting security for both Israelis and Palestinians.

Moving to the shared challenge of small boat crossings, the Prime Minister welcomed the joint action between the UK and France and the leaders agreed to do more together to dismantle smuggling routes further upstream and increase intelligence sharing.

The leaders looked forward to speaking again soon.